Bringing Relationships Into Voice Hearing: Introducing a Tripartite Relationship Theory

This book presents a novel, theoretically informed practical approach to voice hearing, which aims to help readers improve relational harmony, reduce distress related to voice hearing, and improve experiences of supportive approaches.

This book presents a Tripartite Relationship Theory, which conceptualises experiences of voice hearing within voice hearer-voice practitioner (or other supporters) relationships. The first part of this book centres on theoretical aspects of the approach, emphasising voice hearers’ internal relational experiences with voices and their relational experiences with practitioners, set against a backdrop of mental healthcare, as a way of understanding voice hearing experiences. Shaped by this theoretical relational framework, the second part of this book provides readers with a practical application of how to support voice hearers to feel safe during times of distress, how to nurture helpful relationships, how to understand voice hearing experiences in relation to their life story, and how to ＂talk with＂ and ＂mark-make＂ with voices.

This book will be accessible to voice hearers, practitioners, and supporters. It provides a framework for understanding the felt experience of voice hearing and how to influence positive change and better relationships with self and voices.

Rob Allison, PhD, is an academic and mental health nurse. He has many years’ experience of working with and learning from people distressed by voices. He developed a tripartite relationship grounded theory to help understand and support voice hearing experiences.

Ruth Lafferty, MSc, is an academic and hears voices. She uses her lived experience, creative practice and psychotherapy training to inform her teaching work with voice hearers and practitioners.